A few minutes passed, and they finished taking their measurements.
Karla then said, "We're going to adjust them now. Come back in an hour to pick them up."
And Gen said, "Okay. See you in a bit then.", and started to leave the store with Raja right behind him.
After they left the store, Raja said, "Gen, why didn't you warn me about this woman?"
And Gen said, "What do you mean I didn't warn you? I told you to stop while you had the chance, but you didn't listen, just like last year with Lina."
"... You're right. I'll start taking your warnings seriously from now on."
"You'd better."
"Well, let's get going. Do you know any shoe stores around here?"
"I know one, but it's a bit far."
"How far?"
"About ten minutes walking."
"Let's go then. We still have to get a haircut and take a shower, and if possible, I would like to enjoy my bath. After all, it's not often you can take a shower in a bathroom like that."
"You have a point."
The two then headed towards the shoe store and, upon arriving, went inside.
A man then came towards them and asked, "How can I help you?"
And Raja said, "We are looking for shoes to go to Oasis."
"To Oasis? Come with me. We have the perfect shoes for that."
The two then followed him, and he then showed them several models of shoes. The two then chose a pair that they liked and sat down.
The man then measured their feet and said, "Just a moment, I'll get your numbers.", and then he went inside the store.
Raja then said, "Gen, seizing the moment, do you know where to start when we get to Tólis?"
And Gen said, "You mean about the ruin?"
"Yes."
"Well, the first thing we have to do when we get there is to talk to the guild leader there. He should have more complete information about the ruin."
"That makes sense."
"Right after that, we'll organize everything we'll need to explore the ruin as fast as we can and then head towards it."
"Well, about that. Am I also going to have to go into the ruin with you?"
"Hmm, now that you mention it, it's true. The ruin will probably be another ordeal, so it doesn't make sense for you to go into it with me."
"Good. That way, I can enjoy the city while you explore the ruin."
"Well, I don't see a problem with that. Just don't cause any trouble while I'm inside."
"Hahaha, don't worry, Gen. If there's one thing I'm good at, it's avoiding trouble."
"... All right."
The man then returned, and they tried on the shoes. Upon seeing that they were the right size, the two paid the bill and left the store.
Gen then said, "There is a barbershop nearby, Raja. Do you want to take advantage of the fact that we are already here and go there? The one I usually go to is in the part of town where I live."
And Raja said, "No, Gen. We'd better get the clothes first."
"Hmm? Why? We can get it after we get a haircut."
"We can, but then we'll fill it up with hair when we try it on at the store."
Gen then said, "That's right, I didn't even think of that. Let's get our clothes then."
"Yes."
The two of them headed toward Karla's store. After a few minutes, they arrived and then entered the store.
After getting inside, they heard Cris saying, "Welcome, in what-", but when Cris saw that it was the two of them, she said, "Oh, you're back. Come with me. Your clothes are finished."
And Gen said, "Good."
"Lina is here too. She has come to get clothes for later."
"What?! Lina is here?"
"Yeah, she's been over there at the counter talking to my mom for a while now."
Gen then felt his heart beat faster and quickly went towards the counter.
Cris, seeing this, said, "Why is he in such a hurry?"
And Raja said, " Who knows."
Gen was moving as fast as he could toward the counter, and then he saw Lina and Karla talking.
He then thought, 'I hope Miss Karla didn't say anything like I asked her to.', and then he heard Karla say, "Look who's back. We were talking about you, Gen."
Lina then said, "That's right, Gen. Miss Karla was telling me that you told her about our relationship."
Gen then thought, 'I guess it's too late.', and said, "I'm sorry, Lina. I had to talk about it to keep Miss Karla from getting her hopes up."
"There's no problem. I trust Miss Karla but avoid talking about it with other people. After all, you know I'm timid when it comes to such matters.", Lina said with a smile on her face.
Gen then swallowed hard and said, "That's okay. I won't talk to anyone else about it."
"Good."
Raja then came in with Cris, and she said, "Mom, they came for the clothes."
And Karla said, "I know. Here they are. You can try them on in the changing room in the back."
They then took the clothes, and Raja started to go towards the changing room, but then he saw that Gen wasn't moving and asked, "What is it, Gen?"
And Gen said, "Go ahead. I have to talk to Lina about something."
Raja then looked at Lina and saw that she was staring at him with a not-very friendly face, and said, "Okay. Take your time.", and went towards the changing room.
Lina then asked, "What's up, Gen?"
Gen then walked over to her and said very softly, "You know I had no choice, right?"
Lina, hearing this, said in a way that only he could listen to, "I know, don't worry, I can understand why you did it. Miss Karla is out of line sometimes."
"Great! I'm glad you know that."
"Obviously, after all, I've lived here longer than you have."
"That's right. This subject dies here, then?"
"Of course not."
"I thought so. What do you want as compensation?"
"Well, I haven't decided yet, but don't expect to come home with money to spare, haha."
"Ahh, fine, I'll go try the clothes on."
"Okay."
Gen then turned in the direction that Raja had gone and walked straight ahead until he reached the changing rooms. He then entered an empty one and put on his clothes. After seeing that they were fine, he put on the clothes that he had on before and went towards the counter.
When he arrived, Raja was already there and was saying, "These are the clothes I'm going to need. When can I pick them up?"
And Karla said, "Well, knowing that you are leaving town tomorrow, I will make an effort. You can pick them up tomorrow at ten."
"Okay, thank you."
Lina then asked, "Are you leaving town, Raja?"
Raja was about to answer, but Karla cut him off and said, "Yes, he and Gen are leaving town tomorrow. You didn't know?"
"No, I didn't know, but I bet they were waiting to talk later. Where are you going?", said Lina, looking at Gen.
He then said, "We're going to Tólis."
"Tólis? Why so far away?"
"Well, I have some business to take care of there."
"Hmm, I see. Well, you don't mind if I come with you, right?"
Raja then said, "Please don't!"
And Lina said, "What do you mean? You don't want me to come?"
"N-No, how could I? I was just worried about your parents, who would have to run the restaurant by themselves."
Raja then turned to Gen and looked at him as if to say, 'Say something!'
And Gen said, "It's true, Lina. Miss Anna sure wouldn't want you to go that far away."
Lina then said, "So if I convince my mother, there's no problem, right?"
"Yeah, no problem."
"Good. Tomorrow, I'll wait for you here. Then, when you get Raja's clothes, I'll tell you if I can go or not."
"Okay, it's a deal. Well, Raja and I have to go. We're still getting our hair cut. Bye."
They then all said goodbye, and Gen came out of the store with Raja.
Raja then said, "Gen, you're not going to let her come with us, right?"
And Gen said, "Relax, Raja. She'll wait there all day, and when she realizes that something is wrong, we'll already be on our way to Tólis."
"Whew! That's great ... but wait, what about my clothes?"
"Raja, nothing in this life comes without sacrifice. You can always buy clothes in Tólis, or would you rather risk the possibility of Lina coming with us?"
"... You're right, I'll buy other clothes there."
"Well, enough about that. Let's pick up the pace and get a haircut, or we won't have time to use that huge bathroom."
"You're right. Where's the nearest barbershop?"
"To that side of the town."
"Let's go then."
The two then headed toward the barbershop, and upon arriving, Raja looked at the nameplate and said, "Cleaver and razor? Are you sure this is it, Gen?"
"Yes, I always used to see it when I passed by here, but it wasn't called that before. Maybe they changed the name to attract customers."